A canister is mounted in a vehicle to prevent evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank from being discharged into atmosphere. The canister introduces and adsorbs evaporated fuel generated in the fuel tank, discharges the evaporated fuel into an intake passage during operation of an engine and burns the evaporated fuel.
According to a conventional canister mounting structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-58173, a fuel tank is provided between rear side members. A spare tire house is provided between the rear side members behind the fuel tank. The rear side members are connected through a cross member between the fuel tank and the spare tire house. The canister is attached to a substantially intermediate position of a lower surface of the cross member in a state where the canister is exposed to outside air.
According to another conventional canister mounting structure disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 4-86524, a vehicle frame includes left and right side members and two cross members. The two cross members support one end of a tank support bracket and a fuel tank is assembled supported on the other end of the tank support bracket. The tank support bracket supports a front side of the fuel tank, and a canister is mounted and supported on the tank support bracket.
According to another conventional canister mounting structure disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3031742, a recess is formed in a lower portion of a fuel tank. A canister is mounted in the recess by a mounting holder. An insulator is mounted on a lower side of the fuel tank, and the canister is fixed to the insulator through a flange.
According to another conventional canister mounting structure disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 63-123324, an opening is formed in a lower surface of a cross member which connects left and right side members with each other above a fuel tank. A canister is inserted and mounted into the opening.
In a mounting structure for attaching a canister to a lower side of a rear floor outside an engine room, it is necessary to protect the canister against an impact force applied from behind the vehicle, or applied by a stone during driving to ensure safety.
Conventionally, a bracket is separately provided as a protection member to protect the canister from the impact force of a stone, but there is a problem in that the weight and cost of the structure are increased. Further, there is a problem in that an impact force from behind the vehicle applied to the canister through the bracket which is the protection member, can damage the structure.
According to the mounting structures described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-58173 and Japanese Patent No. 3031742, since the canister is mounted on the lower surface of the cross member or the lower portion of the fuel tank, it becomes difficult to sufficiently ensure a height of the canister from the ground, and there is an adverse possibility that the canister comes into contact with a stone or a projection of the ground.
According to the mounting structure described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 4-86524, the fuel tank is assembled and supported by the two cross members through the tank support bracket, and the canister is mounted and supported on the tank support bracket which supports the front side of the fuel tank such that the canister projects forward of the vehicle. Therefore, there is no protection member on the front side of the canister, and there is an adverse possibility that the canister comes into contact with a stone or a projection of the ground.
According to the mounting structure described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 63-123324, the canister is inserted and mounted into an opening formed in the lower surface of the cross member which connects the side members with each other. Therefore, although the canister can be protected from a stone, there is a problem in that the strength of the cross member is deteriorated because the opening is formed therein.
In a mounting structure of a canister, it is an object of the present invention to protect the canister which adsorbs evaporated fuel in a fuel tank from an impact force from behind a vehicle, and to sufficiently secure the height of the canister from the ground, thereby eliminating the need of a protection member which protects the canister from the impact force or a stone.